Why are bodybuilders so concerned about blood cortisol levels? Find out which hormone prevents you from building huge muscle mass! In recent years, you can often hear that one of the main reasons for stagnation in the set of muscle mass is a high concentration of cortisol. This is a fairly important issue that needs to be addressed. There are no “harmful” hormones in the body, and corticoids are no exception. These substances in a certain concentration are necessary to maintain the anabolic background at a high level.
Studies have shown that even super-intense exercise cannot cause a powerful increase in cortisol levels, as the body can cope with this situation on its own. High stress hormone levels can occur during overtraining, but they are temporary.
Athletes often ignore the physiological foundations of the training process and try to find all kinds of inhibitors of cortisol synthesis in bodybuilding. Certainly, some drugs can increase the adaptive capacity of the body, but excessive use of them can lead to negative consequences. Athletes and their coaches should primarily focus on finding the causes of stagnation in mass gain, and not use various medications without understanding their mechanisms of work.
When can cortisol synthesis inhibitors be used?
Often, the authors of publications on the use of anti-cortisol drugs in strength sports do not have the necessary knowledge base and forget that anabolic and catabolic reactions are integral elements of the body's metabolism.
Catabolic processes are aimed at obtaining additional energy and when they are suppressed, energy deficiency can occur. This, in turn, will lead to a decrease in the anabolic background. Scientists agree that the intensity and strength of the shift in metabolism towards catabolic processes during training determines the subsequent anabolism. Simply put, insufficiently intense training is not able to lead to muscle growth, although it will not cause a significant increase in cortisol concentration.
There is only one situation in strength sports disciplines when the level of cortisol is objectively high - the completion of the AAS course. It is during this period that the use of inhibitors of cortisol synthesis in bodybuilding may be advisable.
Today, there are several drugs that are used in traditional medicine to treat high concentrations of corticosteroids. These include Cyproheptadine, Bromcreptin, Chloditan, Trilostane, etc. At the end of the nineties, a drug called Phosphatidylserine appeared on the market, whose task is to control the concentration of cortisol. It is a substance derived from the amino acid compound serine and, when used correctly, can be effective in bodybuilding or powerlifting. At the same time, it produces a mild effect on the body and is not dangerous for the body. This fact has been verified by a five-year use of the drug. After the tragic death of several famous athletes associated with the use of Cytadren, interest in the group of anti-cortisol drugs appeared in the scientific community. However, in the course of research, no evidence of Citadren's involvement in these events was found.
Now more and more often you can find statements that some supplements or drugs have an anti-catabolic effect. These include at different times, for example, BCAAs or Glutamine. However, in the course of further research, the presence of anti-catabolic effects on the body was not found. This may indicate that such statements are only a marketing step by manufacturers.
Athletes should not attach much importance to cortisol and drugs to reduce its concentration. When stagnation in muscle growth appears, first of all, you need to revise your nutrition and training program, as well as the daily routine. The human body is a unique mechanism and is able to independently solve the problem of increasing the level of corticoids.
If we return to the question of the use of inhibitors of cortisol synthesis in bodybuilding, then in most cases their use is not justified. This is due to rather serious side effects that cannot be reversed, as well as the narrow scope of their application. Do not look for a reason for the cortisol progression to stop, as this is highly unlikely. It is the wrong training and nutrition that basically become the causes of the plateau state.
Learn more about cortisol and the factors that affect its production in this video:
